CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
ROXANNE
“What are you doing here?” I asked in an unsteady voice as memories of the past flooded my mind. I tried to steady myself but I was failing at retaining my calm composure.
Zane chuckled like the ingrate that he was. Oh how much I hated the sound of his voice. But as I gazed at him I realised he was looking robust and appeared healthier. Shame engulfed me as I looked everywhere for a place to hide but there was none.
I was ashamed of my appearance.
“You don't sound pleased. Now I'm offended,” he said and pretended to pout. “I came all the way here to see you and that's what I get? A cold welcome?”
I searched around frantically for a weapon of some sort to protect myself with just in case he had intentions of hitting me. “Stay away from me.”
“That's no way to talk to a family. Most importantly, an Alpha,” he said, pride in his tone as he approached me with hatred in his eyes. “My God, you stink!”
I swallowed, crouching lower as he towered over me.“Are you a walking corpse or something? I bet they really left you out here to rot to death. You deserve it though.”
“Who let you in?” I demanded.
“The dog now bites huh?” He muttered in amusement yet displeased at my tone. “You don't want to speak to me with that audacious voice, do you?”
I shrank.
He smirked, seemingly pleased that he still had that effect on me.
He had tormented me almost all my life. Would I dare forget?
“Who else but the darned Alpha of this Pack? You see, he wrote to us that you were refusing to heal. He said you were dying and he needed our help.”
“Liar! Ryker would never do that,” I said, defending him. Because he really wouldn't. Even if I knew nothing about the Alpha I did know one thing for sure, he didn't like my brother and he was too prideful to ask for White Moon’s help.
He clicked his tongue and brought out a ruined ball of paper and tossed it at me. “I've known you for ages and one thing I've learnt is that you aren't quite smart.”
Tears filled my eyes as he grabbed my cheek, his nails digging deep. His eyes flashed with hostility. “You're really dense Roxanne but anyway that's your evidence.”
I gulped as the taste of my tears touched my tongue. It was hard to talk in this position and all I felt was the stinging pain of his nails in my cheek.
“Please,” I begged. “Please stop.”
“No one tells me what to do Roxanne, now open it up!” He yelled.
I nodded as I reached for the ball of paper. I knew better than to provoke my brother. He ordered twice but the third was always a strike.
And that was the last thing I needed.
Would Ryker actually do that to me? Well he could. He knew nothing about my life.
I scrolled through the paper but for an unknown reason I felt pity for Ryker than myself. Why would he write such a pathetic letter to my brother? Didn't he know he had created a way for my brother to crush his ego?
My brother eyed me. “What exactly did you think you are? A hero? Coming in the way of Alphas. You've forgotten you're a pathetic excuse for a wolf,” he paused, “Oh I forgot you don't even have a wolf.”
“Please Zane….”
“I mean, look at you. The maids at my pack are doing better… living better. I thought I'd be mesmerised when I saw you but I'm amused. Perhaps Ryker has realised you're a waste of time. He knows how irrelevant you are and decides to keep you here.”
Zane is a coward. Do not believe anything he says. The only weapon he has is his mouth.
He smirked in triumph. “You should probably kill yourself Roxanne. No one wants you. How does it feel to be secluded?”
Manipulative fucker.
“Leave or I'll call the guards,” I challenged in a faint voice.
Zane laughed, so hard that each sound seemed to tear down the walls I built around myself. “Oh? Go ahead and call them little bitch. You think they care about you? No one cares about you Roxanne. If you think staying here would make the Alpha fall in love—”
“I didn't ask to stay here,” I interrupted and sat weakly on the bed before my legs gave out.
“But you didn't ask to leave either. I mean, sis, you used to think that I mistreated you, that I hated you but with me you got a wonderful room and healthy meal. You didn't look deranged,” he leaned in and whispered, “Or maybe you said to yourself that night. My life would change for the better if I go with Red moon.”
Tears, they flowed freely now. I hated how I lost control when my brother was around. He was the only person who could make me feel bad about myself with just his words.
He pinched his nose. “Who would believe you're an Alpha’s daughter? You look pitiful and I think that's what changed that night you left. You got preyed on. Your life changed for the worst and mine…” he beamed and closed his eyes. “Mine got better.”
“Shut up!” I yelled through tears. “Leave me alone!”
He feigned an hurt expression before grinning at me. He pulled down the bandages and gasped at the wounds and scars.
“Look what they've done to you,” he said bitterly. “First of all they took you from your people and brought you to this place. I bet you don't know what their territory is like but I would tell you it's amazing and elegant. But rather they decided to bring you to the underground. I thought they were going to reveal a wild beast but it was just you.”
“And then they beat you up and now they need our help to save you? I'd rather die than let that happen,” Zane said with spite.
“Get out,” I said, getting away from him.
“Or what's going to happen? Are you miserable enough? I can't call you my sister.”
“You never regarded me as one,” I stated, matter of factly.
“Perhaps I've got to teach you how to tame this tongue of yours,” he said in annoyance.
I smirked. “You don't want to try that… brother? You're not deserving of that title. I mean? What are you going to do to me that you haven't done? Beat me? That's an often. Slap me? Scratch that. Kick me? I'm used to it. Starve me? Mock me? Punch me? Go on ahead and tell me what you haven't done to me. I'll wait.”
He gulped. “You are scared of me aren't you?”
“The only thing you've never done but have attempted to do to me is kill me. Oh I forgot, everyone has.”
“I took care of you when no one else would. How else could you repay me? I had to build you as my slave, you know. Always at my beck and call.”
“Screw you.”
“Yes I deserved credit. No one wanted you Roxanne. I was young but I had to bring you up. And then you were so useless. You couldn't do anything correctly. You were never good at anything except eating. You were so vulnerable and always needed me around. It was disgusting.”
“You were all I had…”
“And then I was like, this pack needs to be run by us both but God you were just too slow. You were a bad omen. Wherever you entered bad things happened and the pack house sure did needed more hands on deck.”
“Why are you saying all of this?” I asked.
“Because you won't be alive for so long, to hear it from me again.”
“Oh God,” I sobbed.
“And you fit into that section. You cooked and scrubbed really well and I just decided that's where you'll spend the rest of your life. Chloe sends her regards. She would've come with me but she's pregnant. Yeah you would have been a big aunty soon, except I'm never going to let my kid know there's a weakling in our family.”
“You're saying all of these to make me feel bad aren't you?”
“If you don't feel bad about yourself already then your mind's made up. You want to be a low life. I never saw you as my sibling. There must be something about your birth. Perhaps you were abandoned and one of our parents found you and adopted you. You're not only weak but you have red hair.”
I gasped.“That's why you treated me shitty? Because of some dumb hair colour?”
“Because you're an outcast. Even if there was a way to help heal you Roxanne, I'd rather leave you here to die. You deserve it. The same way our parents died because of you. If only you had listened that night,” he whispered.
My throat tightened as I took in his words. “I didn't kill them,” I muttered in disbelief.
“You were the reason why they were attacked. That's your problem Roxanne. You're bad luck and you give it to everyone who knows you. From the depth of my heart Roxanne, I hope you rot alive.”
“I wish you the very worst to come, Zane,” I said and kissed him on the cheek.“Go and heal.”
He looked hard at me. I didn't know how long we watched each other in silence but I was sure that may be the last time I ever hear from him again.